Robinson Block / Kane Building
CITY OF VANCOUVER
HERITAGE BUILDING
The Robinson Block was built in 1889. Zebulon Franks, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who arrived in 1887, relocated his general supply store here from Carrall Street in the early 1890s. It catered to resource industry workers – loggers, fishers, miners – travelling to all parts of the province. After Franks’ death, the business continued as Y. Franks Appliances, becoming one of the longest operating businesses in Vancouver.
The Kane Building, built in 1906 for owner Jacob Sam Kane, house commercial and industrial uses. Its second floor features pre-cast concrete blocks meant to resemble stone. By 1942 this was the Beulah Rescue Mission, serving the homeless and unemployed – a sign of economic decline resulting from businesses relocating to other areas. Both buildings were rehabilitated in 2006.
Photo of the building: http://imgur.com/YrHmsOR
Attribution: Jennie Eggleston